State urges transparency

THE FEDERAL government has been urged to explain why Dubbo families are paying soaring electricity bills, the member for Dubbo Troy Grant said.

Mr Grant said the NSW state government was working hard to place downward pressure on rising power prices.

"Labor must be honest with electricity consumers as to how much the carbon tax is contributing to their power bills," he said.

"We have implemented a number of reforms to help reduce the impact of rising power prices in NSW, including increased assistance measures, the closure of Labor's unsustainable Solar Bonus Scheme, and the commissioning of a review into reliability standards imposed by Labor which are a key driver of rising network costs."

Mr Grant said the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has determined green schemes including the cost of the carbon tax were calculated to add approximately $316 to the power bill of Dubbo families.

The Climate Change Minister, Greg Combet, said the NSW government was misleading consumers by forcing electricity retailers to print on every household power bill that the "Federal carbon tax and green energy schemes add about $316 a year''.

The O'Farrell government made the politically charged power bill warnings a condition of having a licence to supply electricity in NSW.

EXPLAIN: The federal government has been urged to explain why Dubbo families are paying soaring electricity bills